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An irregular and disturbed sleeping schedule can mess up your mood and affect your performance. Over time, it can also have a negative influence on your cognitive abilities. Therefore, quality sleep is essential for maintaining everything from blood sugar levels to digestive function.

Following your natural sleep pattern can do wonders for your health. However, in this article, we will go through some of the most prominent health benefits of getting regular sleep. These claims are backed up by solid scientific evidence. So, let’s take a look at five incredible advantages of restful sleep.

Blood glucose levels have a reset button that gets activated only if you get enough time in the slow-wave part of your sleep cycle. Studies have shown that individuals who sleep properly are at lesser risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

On the other hand, insufficient sleep results in increased appetite and ineffective regulation of blood sugar. It usually occurs due to fluctuations in blood levels of the appetite regulating hormones, ghrelin and leptin.

          2.) Fosters Insight

Quality sleep ensures that your brain stays active enough to store and process information effectively. It helps deal with difficult problems and recall memories.

Furthermore, regular sleep is vital for learning and short-term memory. It enhances your productivity and sustains normal cognitive functioning.

          3.) Improves Cardiovascular Health

Over the last few decades, researchers have proved that sleep is directly linked to your heart’s health. Your blood pressure lowers when you are sleeping and allows your blood vessels to rest. This decreases the risk of getting a heart stroke and ensures long-term cardiovascular health.

Moreover, a systematic review of fifteen studies revealed that inadequate sleep can prove detrimental to your health by increasing the risk of heart diseases.

          4.) Uplifts Your Mood

One of the major causes of depression and anxiety is a lack of quality sleep. Your brain needs time to process your thoughts and emotions. Studies have shown that almost 90% of the people with depression have reported a chronic lack of sleep.

I can also affect your ability to interact with other people in a healthy way. People with insomnia are unresponsive to social cues and often fail to recognize feelings of joy and anger.

          5.) Boosts Immune Function

Sleeping for more than eight hours a day enables your immune system to combat any foreign particles that may prove harmful. On the contrary, a lack of sleep can impair your cellular immune response and inhibit the action of natural killer cells.

Therefore, sleep deprivation can lead to severe and chronic health problems. If you are suffering from a common cold, getting enough sleep can help you recover faster.

The Bottom Line

All in all, regular restful sleep is important for staying healthy and cognitively sharp. Neglecting your health or prioritizing your work over your mental peace can have long-lasting effects, which makes getting regular restful sleep absolutely essential.

References:

1.) Impact of insufficient sleep on total daily energy expenditure, food ….” 11 Mar. 2013, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3619301/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2021.

2.) Cognitive benefits of sleep and their loss due to sleep deprivation.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15824327/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2021.

3.) Sleep duration predicts cardiovascular outcomes: a systematic ….” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21300732/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2021.

4.) Sleep and depression – PubMed.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16259539/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2021.

5.) Sleep deprivation impairs the accurate recognition of human emotions.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20337191/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2021.

6.) Partial night sleep deprivation reduces natural killers and cellular ….” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8621064/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2021.